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Wells' perfect day propels Surprise to finals

Sixth-ranked Yankees prospect homers during three-hit afternoon
Austin Wells' clutch performance propelled Surprise into the Arizona Fall League championship game. (Jill Weisleder/Getty Images)
November 19, 2021

Surprise 5, Glendale 3 With a trip to the Arizona Fall League championship game at stake, Austin Wells came up big. The No. 6 Yankees prospect ignited the Saguaros' rally from an early 3-0 deficit with a two-run homer and finished with three hits for the second time in three

Surprise 5, Glendale 3

With a trip to the Arizona Fall League championship game at stake, Austin Wells came up big.

The No. 6 Yankees prospect ignited the Saguaros' rally from an early 3-0 deficit with a two-run homer and finished with three hits for the second time in three games. Wells extended his hitting streak to five and finished the regular season portion of November's schedule with a .393 average.

Wells connected on his second Fall League long ball in the fourth and his first since Oct. 21, a span of 12 games. A 2-for-9 start to his AFL campaign was a mere blip for the 2020 first-round Draft pick. Wells ended the season batting .344/.456/.578 with nine extra-base hits and 18 RBIs in 79 plate appearances.

Jackson Cluff (WAS 19) and Kansas City prospect Nathan Eaton put Surprise ahead for good with consecutive sacrifice flies in the fifth inning.

Owen White (TEX 28) labored through five innings in his final start. The 22-year-old stuck around long enough to earn his AFL-best fifth win, striking out six despite surrendering three runs on nine hits and two walks. White's 28 1/3 innings also topped the circuit.

Jacob Amaya (LAD 14), Juan Yepez (STL 26), Korey Lee (HOU 1) and Grae Kessinger (HOU 23) all tallied two hits for Glendale. Kessinger capped the Desert Dogs' scoring with a two-run single. More »

Owen White (TEX 28) labored through five innings in his final start. The 22-year-old stuck around long enough to earn his AFL-best fifth win, striking out six despite surrendering three runs on nine hits and two walks. White's 28 1/3 innings also topped the circuit.

Jacob Amaya (LAD 14), Juan Yepez (STL 26), Korey Lee (HOU 1) and Grae Kessinger (HOU 27) all tallied two hits for Glendale. Kessinger capped the Desert Dogs' scoring with a two-run single. More »

Mesa 4, Scottsdale 3

After watching his teammate tie the game with a homer minutes before, Greg Cullen figured he'd send everyone home with one of his own.

The Orioles prospect two-out, full-count offering over the center-field fence for his third home run of the fall and a Solar Sox win that sets the stage for their championship game against the Saguaros on Saturday. Cullen brought Mesa within a run earlier in the game with an RBI single.

The 25-year-old finished his AFL stint batting .279 with a .935 OPS. His three home runs equaled his output during an injury-plagued 2021 season.

Oakland's Jonah Bride tied the game with a one-out solo homer two batters before Cullen left the yard.

Patrick Bailey (SF 8) drove in a pair of runs for Scottsdale, which tallied 13 hits. Marco Luciano (SF 1) ended his season on a high note. MLB Pipeline's No. 5 overall prospect singled twice and finished with an eight-game hitting streak that lifted his average 49 points to .253.

Jeter Downs (BOS 5) singled twice for the Scorpions while Curtis Mead (TB 14) chipped in with two hits of his own on day after his season-long hitting streak ended at 18 games. More »

Peoria 8, Salt River 0

Luke Waddell finished the season as hot as he was cold at the onset. The 29th-ranked Braves prospect doubled, singled, drove in two runs and scored a pair in the Javelinas' season-ending win. Waddell, who also walked, was batting .059 entering play on Oct. 28.

The 23-year-old closed his Fall League campaign on a 18-for-44 (.409) tear, bringing his final slash line to .311/.394/.398 with five doubles and nine RBIs.

Bryson Stott (PHI 2) clinched the RBI title by driving in three to give him 31 for the season. Baseball's No. 97 overall prospect collected two hits, including his seventh double, to finish with a .318 average and a .934 OPS for Peoria.

Victor Vodnik (ATL 20) was impressive in his AFL finale. The 22-year-old allowed two hits and struck out four over five shutout innings. Vodnik finished the fall with a 5.70 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings across six appearances (four starts).

Ryan Vilade (COL 5) and Michael Toglia (COL 6) had the only two hits for Salt River. More »